DARJEELING, Aug 6: At least 12 people were killed and 40 injured, some of them seriously, in landslides triggered by heavy rains in Darjeeling, Sadar and remote areas in the wee hours today, officials said.

The authorities feared the death toll would go up as many people, still trapped under debris, were yet to be pulled out in a rescue operation buffetted by bad weather.

The Army had been pressed into rescue and relief operations and 30 families shifted to a temporary shelter. Six bodies were recovered from Burns village, two from Faren Villa, three from Liza Hills at Bijanbari and one from Lodhama.

The injured were admitted to Darjeeling hospital, where the condition of some were stated to be critical, Darjeeling district magistrate, Navin Prakash, said.

The Met office recorded 190.2 mm of incessant rainfall since yesterday damaging the power and water supply system of the tourist town.

Meanwhile, in Midnapore district, flash floods following torrential rains have claimed three lives and affected at least 100,000 people. While one person drowned in Subarnarekha river, two others were struck by lightning. Two each also perished in Jamshedpur and Gaya in Bihar.

With this, the toll in the current monsoon across the country rose to 421. Gujarat accounted for the highest number of deaths with 244, followed by Kerala 64, Uttar Pradesh 64, Karnataka 14, Darjeeling 16, Himachal Pradesh eight, Assam, Meghalaya, Kolhapur (Maharashtra), Jamshedpur and Gaya two each and Midnapore three.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.